To get the collaboration started Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen and Shroud of the Avatar will offer a cross-game reward for those who back both projects. Backers will receive a cross-game cloak that can be worn in either games to help promote each other.

Pantheon will feature the Shroud of the Avatar symbol (Lord British’s Coat of Arms) on a cloak in their game, while Shroud of the Avatar will have a cloak bearing the Pantheon symbol.

“The opportunity to work with Portalarium is extremely exciting, not just in terms of what we can do together with our games, but also on a very personal level,” said Brad McQuaid, “Lord British has been a hero of mine since I was a teen, and ultimately was responsible for inspiring me into the video game industry. Lord British and Portalarium continue to be an inspiration with ‘Shroud of the Avatar.’ It’s a perfect example of how the core elements of games from years past can continue to influence and innovate in today’s industry.”

Richard Garriott added: “There is no doubt that Brad McQuaid led EverQuest to become the standard bearer against which all other MMOs would be compared, and most have been patterned. Just as I hope fans are excited about the return of the King of Britannia in Shroud of the Avatar, I have no doubt that Brad McQuaid will lead Pantheon to fulfill and expand the vision he began in the earliest days of the MMO era, and grow it into the future. I for one, look forward to what I will again learn from his leadership in gaming.”

Whether this collaboration will stretch beyond cosmetic items remains to be seen at this early stage but with an MMO market that’s saturated with games, some decent, some terrible, both developers are obviously keen to get noticed.